Mail box



Jan. 3, 1928.

J. A. JOHNSON MAIL BOX Filed Sept. 13, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l L |L....+ l. l In.

MNM

'sull' v IN1/EN TOR. .7o/222 J5/272.5022

A' Tom/Ey Jam 3, 192s. 1,654,884

J. A. JOHNSON MAIL Box Filed Sept. 13, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN1/EN TOR. l JMZC/waz 7 AT RNEY Patented Jan. 3, 1928,.

narran STA TES ' JOHN A, JOHNSON,y or MINNEArOLI's MiNNEsoTA.

Y l 1,654,884 PATIENT OFI-"ioni MAIL Box. p

' Application filed September 13, 1924.A vSerial No. 737,452.

" mail carrier orpostman is provided with a key by Vwhich he. may simultaneously, open all of the rboxes of a group. thus obviating the necessitv for opening individual boxes for the delivery-of mail. However, as far as i 1 1'.. 1. n u Jr Q ,-.1 0.-.. 1 H 1.,. app icanc isawaie, a or cuL i gioup ioc erg Fig. 1;

devices heretofore provided require expensively constructed boxesand the time and work attendant upon operating the `same is excessive. 4 f

It is my object to provide'novel eilicient means for simultaneously locking and 'unlocking the mail boxes of a group.l i A further Object is to vminimizevthe cost of such boxes and at-the same `time to simplify the work of'delivering mail thereto and locking byv providing group closing and easily mechanism of `unusually simple operable construction. Y y

In the accompanying Adrawings I' have illustrated the best form of my device at present known lto me. Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 isa front elevation of lagroup of mailboxes having my improved closing and locking mechanism applied thereto;v

Fig. 2is a section taken on the line 2-2 of 3-3 of Fig. land Fig. 4i vis a fragmentary, vertical section through an alternate form of box. Y l

In the vdrawings I have illustratedv my invention applied to a group of eight builtin mail boxes 5 suitable for use in apartment houses, the boxes being arranged in an upper and a lower row. Each box is provided with a mail receiving slot 6 and a door Tifor the withdrawal of mail by the several occupants of the apartments. The front wall 8 of each box is formed with a forwardly projecting portion 9, across the top of which y the slot 6 extends. A closure 10 for each'v of the slots 6 is formed integral with a pivot- 'ed portion 11 of the back wallv of the box. To pivotally support the part 11, flanges 12 are formed on the lateral edges thereof and are perforated to receive a horizontal, rod

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the linei 13. This rod is secured at its ends'in vertical partitions 14e at the lateral sides of the box. `A' .flange-15 on the forward end of the closure 10 facilitates the insertionof mail in the slot 6.v By reason of its forwardyly leaning position, the partf11 under gravity normally maintains 'the closure V10 in closed position. Y p

My improved locking mechanism consists v of a horizontal rod 16 extending `through the topsofthe boxes'in each row, locking fingers 17 Vfast on said rods, and a master lock 18 connected as hereinafter described to the rods 16 whereby the'fingers'17 may be actuv ated to either free or prevent movement of the closure 10. As clearly shown4 in Fig.2, the lock 18isdisposed with its bolt 19 movable downward and adapted to engagea horizontal portion 20 of a vertically slidable rod 21. This rod 21 is normally supported and maintained in engagement-with the bolt' 19,

yby a'rcoiled compression spring 22. At its lowerl end the spring22 engages an angle clip 23 mounted onr the inner surface of a fronty casing 24, and the clip' 23 and similar clips 25 on'the wall 24 constitute guides for vertical movement of the rod 21.v Fast von each of the rods 16 and extendingintosuitable apertures in the vertical rod 21 is a' pair of cranks 26 adapted to turn the rod 16 when Y the rodv 21 is moved vertically. The position of the ingersl on the rod 16 is such that when the locking bolt 19 is extended down-y ward,A the free or forward endsA of 'said fingers are in proximity to the back of the part 11, where they prevent opening of the door 10.l A pairfof the fingers 17 are placed on the rod 16 Opposite each of the doors 10. If desired, the fingers 17 may be made short enough toy permit sufficient opening of ,the closure v10 for the insertion of thinobjects, such as special delivery letters.

To minimize the. force required to operate the 'lock 18, I prefer to place the spring 22 under 'just suicient compression to support `the rod 21; and the fingers 17 and cranks 26 are provided with suitable Vcounterweights v 27. To insure proper operation of the rod 21, even if the spring 22 should fail to liftsaid rod, I provide a pin 28, which is fixed in the rod'21 and projects throng-ha vertical slot 29 in the wall 24. This pin 28 may be manipulated-when the bolt 19 is retracted to free the fingers 17 from the closures 10, and may also bel used t0 oppose the action ously freeing all oit the closures l).

oi" said spring and thus relieve pressure on in Figure 1l, I have illustrated a mail receiv-v ing slot 3() of common type which is provided with an inwardly swinging closure 31. The mechanism for operating the rod 16 is identical. in this alternate form with that described above, and the lingers ,32 are merely arranged to be directed at the back of the closure 3l when in locked position. To unlockl the closure 3l, the lingers are merelytilted out of the path of said closure. As will lnow be rreadily understood. the lock lSimay be operated by a Akey to withdraw the bolt 19. U pon the withdrawal. ot the bolt, the rod 2l is raised by thespring 22 to tilt the fingers 17 to their dotted line .position shown in Figure thus'simultai'ie- The closures l0 maynow be opened as indicated .in dotted lines in Fig. 3 for the insertion of mail. After the mail has been distributed to the several boxes, the ,slots (l are closed by the closures l0 andmay be simultaneously locked by manipulating` the locl; iS to extend the bolt 19. This, as will be readily understood, moves the 'Finger 17 into the path ot the closures, as shown in full lines in 3. Obviously', an indeiinite number ot the boxes 5 may be placed in a single group and all of the boxes may be. made accessible for the delivery of mail by maiiipulating a single lock. The cost of the locking mechanism for a large group is only slightly greater than that for a smaller group.

Having described my invention what l claim asnew and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

' l. The combination with a group of mail boxes each having a normally closedvdoor for said slot arranged to be opened inward to permit insertion of the mail, of a series ot lingers tiltable into and out of the path ol said doors andarranged when in said path to prevent opening `the doors, a rod operatively connected to said lingers for' simultaneously moving the same into and out of the path of said doors, and armaster lock arranged to actuate said a mail receiving slot and rod and adapted to be manipulated to siniul taneously secure ysaid fingers inthe path of `movable closure for said slot ot' a. lock rod for each row, a series ot locking elements movable by said 'rods into and out of the path of said closures and arranged when in saidpath to prevent opening the closures, a substantially vertical -rod adapted to simultaneously actuate saidv lool: rods, and a master lock arranged to operate said vertical rod and adapted to bemanipulated to simultaneously secure said locking'elements in the path ot said closures.

` 3. The combinationV with a group ot' mail boxes, disposed ina horizontal row and each having a` mail receiving slot and an inwardly movable closure for said slot, of a rod ex'- tending through the several boxes adjacent to said closures, lingers rigidly mounted on said rod and movablethereby into and out of the path oi the .severall closures, a master lock, and linkage between said lock andv rod whereby said fingers may be sinmltaneously moved into and out ot the path of said closures by the manipulation of said locl.

4t.` The combination with al group of mail boxes disposed in a plurality of horizontal rows, each having a mail receiving slot, a closure lor each of said slots pivoted within the mail box and arranged to be opened invardly, a` projectionV on each closure extending out through said slot and :constituting aV handle for opening the closure,'a horizontal rod extending through the several boxes of each row adjacent to said closure7 said rod being revoluble about its longitu kdinal axis, lockmg'fingers `fixed on said rod and arranged to be moved thereby into andV out oit the path of the several closures, whereby said closures may-be held in closed position, a master lock and a substantially vcrtical rod slidablelongitudinally `and connectedl to the several horizontal rods, said vertical rod beingoperable by said lock. i'

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specication.

JoHN A. JoHNsos. 

